1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to securing different materials together into a composite member and refers more specifically to structure for and method of securing materials such as wood and metal together to provide a composite building member utilizing the best qualities of each material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, combining different materials into a composite member has been difficult, particularly where one of the materials has been rigid but comparatively soft and/or porous such as wood, and the other material has been harder and/or non-porous such as metal. This has been particularly true where the materials have had different coefficients of thermal expansion or have had different reactions to varying humidity.
Such composite materials have been difficult to produce in the past since it is desired to achieve the lamination of the materials together without the use of adhesives or separate fasteners. Also, the resulting joint between the members must be mechanically stable and structurally sound as only limited by the physical properties of the weaker material.
Attempts have been made to construct such composite members by a linear slide fit, for example, wherein one member is physically slid over a prepared surface on the other member. Such slide fit assemblies are however not always practical, since one or both members may be too bowed and/or twisted to fit together and still slide for any distance with reasonable design tolerance.
It has also been suggested in the past that a snap fit be used to assemble composite members. In assembly of such composite members, one member is constructed to snap over another member. However, snap fit connections for composite members are not always practical unless at least one of the materials is resilient enough to effect appreciable deformation while being fitted and the other material is either resilient or sufficiently strong so as not to be deformed in the assembly process.